Sales Associate Review

Overall I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my placement. I have been given a level of exposure I don’t believe I would get at other placements and a fair amount of responsibility within my team. I have had the ability to expand out of my role working within another function of the business which ultimately led to being given the opportunity to travel internationally with customers. The work has been varying enough throughout the year as to be interesting but regular enough to maintain a weekly routine. Of course there has been peaks and troughs as with any job but fortunately there is a large number of interns at the placement so there has been a really good social life outside of work throughout the year.

I have continually felt valued by my managers throughout my placement year but less so within my team. This is possibly because there is a large age gap between myself and the average age of the team and because the nature of my role means I have to routinely enforce actions from the Sales Director onto my team, however I have never felt disrespected by my team.

Although my manager and I did not set up weekly meetings to check my progress and to give me an opportunity to ask any necessary questions I may have like some other managers, I have been fortunate to have had supportive, approachable managers this year who have always offered me help when needed.

In a sales associate role your volume of daily tasks ranges from not busy at all to exceptionally busy, normally depending on whether or not you're towards the end of the sales quarter and which sales quarter you're currently in. Tasks in a sales associate role tend to be very immediate, needed to be done then there although there is a number of weekly tasks that need to be completed on a regular basis. However during quieter periods, you have the option to divide your time 70/30 between your role and working within other departments, ultimately meaning you can take on as much additional work as you like.

Sales associates have a fair amount of responsibility as they prepare the weekly and quarterly forecasting and analysis reports before they are submitted to management for comments. It is our responsibility to ensure all the data presented is correct and to monitor the industries we are aligned to ensuring they are compliant against the various pipeline KPIs. The sales directors often give direction to their teams vicariously through us so it is our responsibility to reinforce this and report the teams’ progress back to the sales directors.

The regularity of being in a daily routine and the time management skills you develop as a result of this are possibly the most valuable and applicable skills I have developed. Although my practical skills such as proficiency in CRM, Excel and written communication have definitely progressed since being on placement, all of which will be invaluable for my final year and career beyond university.

I work on the sales floor which is the busiest section of the office although the majority of people there are working independently or busy on calls. Overall it is a positive and fairly quiet atmosphere but can occasionally become loud during busy times in the year. The atmosphere always improves dramatically when the open bar is set up after town halls.

The recruitment and on-boarding process was very well organised by the previous interns. Our weekly tasks as sales associates are clearly outlined in the on-boarding process however there has been occasionally some uncertainty in my role as our teams and sales directors can often be busy with customer meetings so when I have been unable to speak to my manager I have been left wondering what I need to do.

Apart from the initial 3 week on-boarding process, shadowing the intern you replace I did not experience any further training. Preferably, I would have received more sales training and been exposed to fairly regular customer meetings.

There is the possibility of applying to SAP’s sales academy, which is highly prestigious and competitive but would provide all the necessary training to become an account executive within the company and also has the opportunity for international travel.

There has been a great social scene this year amongst the interns, with drinks, parties or nights out organised most weekends. Within my team there has been a team meeting in central London with drinks at least once a quarter.

No intern lived or socialised directly in the area we worked in but the price of living and socialising near to work is fairly high, as with what is expected in London.

There is no nightlife whatsoever in the area our office is based, however with central London and Richmond being an easy journey there was often intern/ work drinks there.

SAP offers the opportunity to play netball and football after work most weeks.